Milk-bottle opener and stopper.



N. M. MERRITT.

MILK BOTTLE OPENER AND STOPPER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 191;.

1,173,832. I Patented Feb.29,1916.

um/Mom M am NEWBUR-Y M. MEBRITT, OF NORWALK, CONNECTICUT.

MILY-BDTTLE OPENER AND STOPPER.

Application filed May 5, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NEWBURY M. MERRITT, a ctizen of the United States, residing at Norwalk, in the county of Fairfield, and

State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements inMilk-Bottle Openers and Stoppers, of which the following is aspecification.

Milk bottles at present are generally closed by means of a pasteboarddisk seated upon an internal annular shoulder disposed a slight distancebelow the mouth of the bottle. It is a common practice to remove thesestoppers by pushing one side of the disk within the bottle by means ofthe thumb, elevating the other side to permit the same to be gripped bythe fingers. During this operation an appreciable amount of dust andother foreign matter that collects upon the disk enters the bottle andis mixed with the contents thereof, which is both objectionable andunsanitary. These conditions become more highly objectionable by thecontinued handling of the stopper, in removing the same from andreplacing the stopper upon the bottle whenever the necessity arises forpouring out more of the milk.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide aninstrument in the nature of acombined disk extractor and stopper,whereby the disk can be removed without handling the same, and thedevice used as a temporary stopper, thus providing for the disposal ofthe disk subsequent to its removal.

Specifically stated the invention essentially consists of a tapered bodyportion forming a stopper, and an extracting element comprising a singlelength of material passed through the body and terminally formed toprovide a laterally extending prong disposed below the body and a loopedhandle portion disposed above the body for manipulating the device.

Another object of importance resides in threading that portion of theelement disposed below the body, and having a nut adjustably mountedthereon, whereby the said element may be drawn downwardly through thebody upon adjustment of the nut, with a view of holding the said loopedhandle partly embedded in the body to prevent turning of the elementtherein.

In the drawing forming a part of this Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

Serial No. 26,056.

application like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in theseveral views and wherein Figure l is a sectional view through thebottle showing the manner of using the device. F ig. 2 is a perspectiveview of the device. Flg. 3 1s a vertical sectional view therethrough.

Referring more particularly to the drawing 5 indicates the body portionof the device constituting a temporary stopper for the bottle 6subsequent to the removal of the disk 7 therefrom. The body portion 5may be constructed from any suitable material, preferably of somecomposition possessing minimum resiliency, and tapered to the desireddegree as in the manner of the ordinary and well known form of stopper.

Passed axially through the body portion 5 is an extracting element 8,comprising a single length of suitable material, preferably wire, havingits lower end bent to provide a laterally extending pointed prong 9disposed below and in spaced relation to the lower end of the bodyportion 5, while the opposite end of the wire terminates to provide alooped handle portion 10 adapted to be grasped by the user formanipulating the device, the loop being disposed in the same verticalplane with the prong 9 to permit a natural movement of the hand whileextracting the disk from the bottle. The portion of the elementprojecting below the body portion 5 is threaded as at 11, and adjustablymounted thereon is a nut 12, whereby the element may be drawn downwardlythrough the body portion upon adjustment of the nut, with a view ofpartly embedding the looped handle portion 10 in the body portion 5 soas to prevent turning or twisting of the element within said body.

In use of the device, the prong 9 is forced through the pasteboard diskand arranged to engage the underside thereof, so that lifting of theinstrument will readily and easily remove the disk from the bottle aswill be obvious. Should only a part of the contents be removed from thebottle and it be necessary to again close the bottle, the disk togetherwith the device may be replaced upon the shoulder 13 of the bottle inthe usual manner. Or the disk may be removed from the prong 9 and thebody portion 5 inserted within the mouth of the bottle and used as atemporary stopper. During this use of the device the shoulder 1 Lthereof provided by the reduced lower portion 15 is adapted to engagethe shoulder '13 of the bottle with a view of preventing V dirt, dust orforeign matter from collecting about the mouth of the bottle, orentering the same upon removal of the stopper therefrom. The prong 9 isso disposed so as not to contact the wall of the bottle when the deviceis used as a temporary stopper, and as will be readily understood, afteran appreciable amount of milk has been removed from the bottle the metalprong does not extend far enough within the bottle to come in contactwith any of the contents thereof. 7

It is believed that from the foregoing desoription the nature andadvantages of the invention Will be thoroughly understood withoutrequiring a more extended explana- Oopies of this patent may be obtainedfor tion to the body,

tion and therefore the same has been omitted.

Whatis claimed is: r I As a new article of manufacture, a' com binedstopper and disk remover comprising a tapered body portion, anextracting element passed through said body and formed at one end toprovide a laterally extending prong disposed below and in spaced relatheopposite end of said element forming a loop disposedabove the body, saidelement having a threaded portion, and a nut adjustably associatedtherewith to retain said loop partly embedded in said body for thepurpose specified. 7

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

NEWBURY M. MERRITT. Witnesses: V

FRANCIS D. CROSBY,- DENNEY S; HULL.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington,D. G.

